Ever wonder what that will be like? Apparently David O. McKay had a pretty good idea:
Let me assure you brethren,
that someday you will have a personal Priesthood interview with the
Savior himself. If you are interested, I will tell you the order in
which he will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities.
First:
He will request an accountability report about your relationship with
your wife. Have you actively been engaged in making her happy and
ensuring that her needs have been met as an individual?
Second:
He will want an accountability about each of your children
individually. He will not attempt to have this for simply a family
stewardship, but will request information about your relationship with
each and every child.
Third: He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-mortal world.
Fourth:
He will want a summary of your activity in your church assignments. He
will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had,
for in His eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably
equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to
your fellowmen in your church assignments.
Fifth: He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.
Sixth:
He will ask for accountability on what you have done to contribute in a
positive manner to your community, state, country, and the world.
Not surprising, except in its specificity as to the order of the questions. Some good food for thought. You can read an awesome devotional centered around these questions here.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
J. Reuben Clark on Idleness
From the foundation of the Church until now, idleness has been condemned as unworthy of Church members, as destructive of character, as violative of the true Christian life, as contrary to the command given to Adam as the law of this world 'In the sweat of thy brow, thou shalt eat thy bread."
-Conference Report, October 1936
I always thought of the Lord's admonition to Adam as informative; in my mind, He was telling Adam that he would have to work because he would starve otherwise. But this can also be read in the imperative--thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brow. In other words, it's a commandment to work for what we need. This makes the wording in D&C 42:42 intriguing as well: "...he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer." An underlying principle of the Church welfare program is that people are enabled to work, and they are expected to be doing some work in return for the aid that they receive. It makes sense under this commandment, that they shall not partake of what other people have earned if they are idle.
And of course after this I am reminded that, as usual, I have some repenting to do. The hours on Pinterest are totally justified because I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner and what to wear and what do with our house, right?
-Conference Report, October 1936
I always thought of the Lord's admonition to Adam as informative; in my mind, He was telling Adam that he would have to work because he would starve otherwise. But this can also be read in the imperative--thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brow. In other words, it's a commandment to work for what we need. This makes the wording in D&C 42:42 intriguing as well: "...he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer." An underlying principle of the Church welfare program is that people are enabled to work, and they are expected to be doing some work in return for the aid that they receive. It makes sense under this commandment, that they shall not partake of what other people have earned if they are idle.
And of course after this I am reminded that, as usual, I have some repenting to do. The hours on Pinterest are totally justified because I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner and what to wear and what do with our house, right?
Thou shalt love thy wife...
From A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants by Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, p.19-20, regarding D&C 42:22 (I emphasized a couple of things I particularly liked in bold):
...In the law of the Church, all marital conditions other than loving "thy wife [or husband] with all thy heart" are prohibited. Men or women who have allowed themselves to fall out of love with faithful, loving spouses are in violation of the law and are under condemnation. Although biological attraction can happen spontaneously, maintaining a long-term, loving relationship in marriage usually does not. It is a goal that must be chosen and diligently pursued, a conscious decision for which husbands and wives may be held accountable. To ignore one's spouse or the relationship that exists between husband and wife is a sin. Sometimes the spouse does not respond to the expression of love, in which case the offending spouse will receive the blame, but for as long as a marriage lasts, true Saints are obligated to love their spouses and maintain a warm and loving relationship to the degree a spouse will allow.
Since exaltation requires that man and wife become one not just in the "bonds of matrimony" but in heart, mind, and spirit, they must love one another. If they fail to do this, exaltation must be denied the offender who will not love his or her faithful spouse. Our covenant obligation to be one with our spouse is second only to our obligation to become one with the Lord.
...In the law of the Church, all marital conditions other than loving "thy wife [or husband] with all thy heart" are prohibited. Men or women who have allowed themselves to fall out of love with faithful, loving spouses are in violation of the law and are under condemnation. Although biological attraction can happen spontaneously, maintaining a long-term, loving relationship in marriage usually does not. It is a goal that must be chosen and diligently pursued, a conscious decision for which husbands and wives may be held accountable. To ignore one's spouse or the relationship that exists between husband and wife is a sin. Sometimes the spouse does not respond to the expression of love, in which case the offending spouse will receive the blame, but for as long as a marriage lasts, true Saints are obligated to love their spouses and maintain a warm and loving relationship to the degree a spouse will allow.
Since exaltation requires that man and wife become one not just in the "bonds of matrimony" but in heart, mind, and spirit, they must love one another. If they fail to do this, exaltation must be denied the offender who will not love his or her faithful spouse. Our covenant obligation to be one with our spouse is second only to our obligation to become one with the Lord.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Emma Smith and D&C 25
From the Doctrine & Covenants student manual, p. 50:
It had been just over three years since the Prophet Joseph Smith and Emma Hale had been married in the small village of South Bainbridge, New York. Joseph was now twenty-five years of age and Emma twenty-six.
The seventh of nine children born to Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, Emma was born on 10 July 1804 in Harmony, Pennsylvania. There the Prophet met and courted her while he was working for Josiah Stowell. It is reported that Emma was a beautiful woman with an attractive personality, and she had the reputation of being a refined and dignified woman who was an excellent housekeeper and cook. Her Methodist upbringing had helped her develop a great love of music.
The first three years for the newly married couple were indeed tense and trying ones. Eight months after their marriage Joseph received the golden plates from the angel Moroni. From that moment on their lives were punctuated with persecution and trial. Emma passed through these trying experiences with her husband. She was at his side during those agonizing months when Joseph lost the gift to translate. She served as his scribe for a while. Her heart must have ached when the Prophet was arrested on trumped-up charges again and again. She traveled with the Prophet on many of his missionary journeys and shared with him the joy and sorrow associated with teh preaching of the gospel. Emma was a woman of great courage and strong will. Of her the Prophet's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, wrote: "I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure . . . she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman." (History of Joseph Smith, pp. 190-91).
Now, in July of 1830, possibly near her birthday, the Lord directed to Emma a revelation known as section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
And from A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants by Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, p. 168-69:
Emma was baptized a member of the Church by Oliver Cowdery on 28 June 1830, and was confirmed by her husband, Joseph, in early August of that year. She was with Joseph and Oliver during the mob action and Josehp's two arrests and trials in the Colesville area. She herself was also at risk of physical injury during that time, and, like Joseph and Oliver, she suffered considerable harassment and vilification from the mobs. As a result of her New York experiences, Emma Smith was as much in need of encouragement from the Lord as were her husband and Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 24), having endured persecution with them ever since her wedding three and a half years earlier. Sometime during the month following her baptism, in July 1830, after returning home from New York to their farm in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Emma received Doctrine and Covenants 25 through her husband, Joseph.
As is the case with many who give their lives in supporting roles, we sometimes overlook how much Emma suffered and sacrificed, and what must have been the depths of her faith and commitment to the Lord. I think it is probably safe to say that Joseph couldn't have done his work without Emma by his side.
It had been just over three years since the Prophet Joseph Smith and Emma Hale had been married in the small village of South Bainbridge, New York. Joseph was now twenty-five years of age and Emma twenty-six.
The seventh of nine children born to Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, Emma was born on 10 July 1804 in Harmony, Pennsylvania. There the Prophet met and courted her while he was working for Josiah Stowell. It is reported that Emma was a beautiful woman with an attractive personality, and she had the reputation of being a refined and dignified woman who was an excellent housekeeper and cook. Her Methodist upbringing had helped her develop a great love of music.
The first three years for the newly married couple were indeed tense and trying ones. Eight months after their marriage Joseph received the golden plates from the angel Moroni. From that moment on their lives were punctuated with persecution and trial. Emma passed through these trying experiences with her husband. She was at his side during those agonizing months when Joseph lost the gift to translate. She served as his scribe for a while. Her heart must have ached when the Prophet was arrested on trumped-up charges again and again. She traveled with the Prophet on many of his missionary journeys and shared with him the joy and sorrow associated with teh preaching of the gospel. Emma was a woman of great courage and strong will. Of her the Prophet's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, wrote: "I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure . . . she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman." (History of Joseph Smith, pp. 190-91).
Now, in July of 1830, possibly near her birthday, the Lord directed to Emma a revelation known as section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
And from A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants by Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, p. 168-69:
Emma was baptized a member of the Church by Oliver Cowdery on 28 June 1830, and was confirmed by her husband, Joseph, in early August of that year. She was with Joseph and Oliver during the mob action and Josehp's two arrests and trials in the Colesville area. She herself was also at risk of physical injury during that time, and, like Joseph and Oliver, she suffered considerable harassment and vilification from the mobs. As a result of her New York experiences, Emma Smith was as much in need of encouragement from the Lord as were her husband and Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 24), having endured persecution with them ever since her wedding three and a half years earlier. Sometime during the month following her baptism, in July 1830, after returning home from New York to their farm in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Emma received Doctrine and Covenants 25 through her husband, Joseph.
As is the case with many who give their lives in supporting roles, we sometimes overlook how much Emma suffered and sacrificed, and what must have been the depths of her faith and commitment to the Lord. I think it is probably safe to say that Joseph couldn't have done his work without Emma by his side.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
One way the Sacrament prayer points to the temple
Willing to take upon them the name of thy Son. Commenting on this text, Elder Oaks observed, "It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so. . . . The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense.
"What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? The scriptures suggest two sacred possibilities, one concerning the authority of God, especially as exercised in the temples, and the other--closely related--concerning exaltation in the celestial kingdom. . . .
"Willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ can therefore be understood as willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ. According to this meaning, by partaking of the sacrament we witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and to receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Savior when he chooses to confer them upon us" (Conference Report, April 1985, 102-3)
-Revelations of the Restoration, p. 170-171.
"What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? The scriptures suggest two sacred possibilities, one concerning the authority of God, especially as exercised in the temples, and the other--closely related--concerning exaltation in the celestial kingdom. . . .
"Willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ can therefore be understood as willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ. According to this meaning, by partaking of the sacrament we witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and to receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Savior when he chooses to confer them upon us" (Conference Report, April 1985, 102-3)
-Revelations of the Restoration, p. 170-171.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Background on D&C 20, and why I care.
From Joseph Fielding McConkie & Craig J. Ostler's Revelations of the Restoration, p. 154-55:
As early as June 1829 Joseph Smith asked Oliver Cowdery to formulate an expression of basic principles and practices of the soon-to-be-organized Church. Oliver in turn asked the Prophet to inquire of the Lord about what he should do. Doctrine and Covenants 18 was given in response to that request. In the revelation Oliver was directed to rely upon the teachings "concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock" (D&C 18:4) as contained in the Book of Mormon. Drawing upon the principles in the Book of Mormon, Oliver submitted a manuscript to the Prophet. "Then Joseph Smith, or both he and Oliver Cowdery, revised that document. They put it in the format now found in section 20" (Woodford, "Articles and Covenants," 264-65).
Section 20 binds together a number of sepearate revelations. It appears that verses 1 through 4, which designate the day upon which the church was to be organized, were given early in April 1830. Other sections of the revelation were at least influenced by Oliver's draft and may have existed before that date. Section 20 is divided into distinct discussions concerning the brief history that preceded the Church organization, a declaration of beliefs, requirements for baptism, duties of priesthood offices and members, ordinances of the Church, and record keeping. This revelation and section 22 became known among the early members as the Articles and Covenants of the Church.
This didn't strike me as particularly interesting until I read the heading to Section 20, which quotes Joseph Smith as saying "We obtained of him [Jesus Christ] the following, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to his will and commandment, we should proceed to organize his Church once more here upon the earth."
When I imagine the Prophet obtaining a document from the Savior, I imagine a direct stream of words that come out of his mouth and are written down on paper, with the exact wording flowing. This, of course, is something that has never happened to me. There are times when writing talks or lessons where certain phrases or ideas flow quickly, but never an entire lesson; those come bit by bit--I take all of my study and impressions and thoughts, organize them over a period of time, pray about them, and ultimately settle on something I feel good about. It takes time and work and sometimes some agonizing, all of which is hopefully inspired by and approved by the Lord. And guess what!? That is how this revelation came about! Not to mention that the prophet had human help--Oliver Cowdery did a draft of the composition.
It is funny as I grow to find so many of my childish imaginations demystified. Prophets are people just like me. Much of their revelation is received in the same ways that I have received revelation, the only difference between us being the scope of our relative stewardships. It is encouraging to think that I can receive revelation just as they can, and also humbling to know it because it means I am just as responsible to put in that effort.
*Silly side-note: another mystical image I came across while reading to the littles: in the Book of Mormon reader, all of the men in Nephi's family have beards, but Nephi is clean-shaven. Funny that we have to portray a clean-shaven hero/protagonist, even though as a Jewish man in that time period, Nephi probably had facial hair. Tee hee.
As early as June 1829 Joseph Smith asked Oliver Cowdery to formulate an expression of basic principles and practices of the soon-to-be-organized Church. Oliver in turn asked the Prophet to inquire of the Lord about what he should do. Doctrine and Covenants 18 was given in response to that request. In the revelation Oliver was directed to rely upon the teachings "concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock" (D&C 18:4) as contained in the Book of Mormon. Drawing upon the principles in the Book of Mormon, Oliver submitted a manuscript to the Prophet. "Then Joseph Smith, or both he and Oliver Cowdery, revised that document. They put it in the format now found in section 20" (Woodford, "Articles and Covenants," 264-65).
Section 20 binds together a number of sepearate revelations. It appears that verses 1 through 4, which designate the day upon which the church was to be organized, were given early in April 1830. Other sections of the revelation were at least influenced by Oliver's draft and may have existed before that date. Section 20 is divided into distinct discussions concerning the brief history that preceded the Church organization, a declaration of beliefs, requirements for baptism, duties of priesthood offices and members, ordinances of the Church, and record keeping. This revelation and section 22 became known among the early members as the Articles and Covenants of the Church.
This didn't strike me as particularly interesting until I read the heading to Section 20, which quotes Joseph Smith as saying "We obtained of him [Jesus Christ] the following, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to his will and commandment, we should proceed to organize his Church once more here upon the earth."
When I imagine the Prophet obtaining a document from the Savior, I imagine a direct stream of words that come out of his mouth and are written down on paper, with the exact wording flowing. This, of course, is something that has never happened to me. There are times when writing talks or lessons where certain phrases or ideas flow quickly, but never an entire lesson; those come bit by bit--I take all of my study and impressions and thoughts, organize them over a period of time, pray about them, and ultimately settle on something I feel good about. It takes time and work and sometimes some agonizing, all of which is hopefully inspired by and approved by the Lord. And guess what!? That is how this revelation came about! Not to mention that the prophet had human help--Oliver Cowdery did a draft of the composition.
It is funny as I grow to find so many of my childish imaginations demystified. Prophets are people just like me. Much of their revelation is received in the same ways that I have received revelation, the only difference between us being the scope of our relative stewardships. It is encouraging to think that I can receive revelation just as they can, and also humbling to know it because it means I am just as responsible to put in that effort.
*Silly side-note: another mystical image I came across while reading to the littles: in the Book of Mormon reader, all of the men in Nephi's family have beards, but Nephi is clean-shaven. Funny that we have to portray a clean-shaven hero/protagonist, even though as a Jewish man in that time period, Nephi probably had facial hair. Tee hee.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Harold B. Lee on the ministration of angels
When we begin to understand that, beyond sight, as Brigham Young said, is the spirit world right here round about us. If our spiritual eyes could be open we could see others visiting with us, directing us. And if we will learn not to be so sophisticated that w rule out that possibility of impressions from those who are beyond sight, then we too may have a dream that may direct us as a revelation."
-Harold B. Lee, "Divine Revelation," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 15 Oct. 1952, pp. 10-11].
A couple of points for pondering:
1. As long as I have known this doctrine, I don't remember it very often. My mission president counselled me that when I was most in tune with the Spirit that I would probably feel my dad's influence helping and guiding me, among others of the promised angels that would be on my right hand and on my left. I did find that to be true, and there really isn't any reason that this shouldn't be true in my ongoing life, but I tend to forget that I have that wonderful support system beyond the seen world.
2. I thought it was interesting that in Guatemala it seemed a lot more common for people to have extraordinary experiences with dreams and spirits and such, and I did have the impression that part of the reason this was so was simply that they believed in such things. It is so true that our "modern" society has become too "sophisticated" for things of the Spirit, and the more direct the experience, the more it is deemed unbelievable.
-Harold B. Lee, "Divine Revelation," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 15 Oct. 1952, pp. 10-11].
A couple of points for pondering:
1. As long as I have known this doctrine, I don't remember it very often. My mission president counselled me that when I was most in tune with the Spirit that I would probably feel my dad's influence helping and guiding me, among others of the promised angels that would be on my right hand and on my left. I did find that to be true, and there really isn't any reason that this shouldn't be true in my ongoing life, but I tend to forget that I have that wonderful support system beyond the seen world.
2. I thought it was interesting that in Guatemala it seemed a lot more common for people to have extraordinary experiences with dreams and spirits and such, and I did have the impression that part of the reason this was so was simply that they believed in such things. It is so true that our "modern" society has become too "sophisticated" for things of the Spirit, and the more direct the experience, the more it is deemed unbelievable.
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